Children want parents to spend more time with them in the New Year according to ChildLine survey

ChildLine, a charity phone-line service, has found that children in the UK wish their parents would promise to spend more time with them as part of their New Year resolutions.

The charity service based on Curtain Road, Tower Hamlets, provided by the NSPCC, quizzed the nation’s children about what their parents’ resolutions should be for 2012.

The survey, published on Friday, found that 14 per cent of children wish their parents would spend more time with them in the New Year, and one in six children want their parents to stop shouting at them in 2012.

As many as 12 per cent also said they wanted their parents to “stop calling me nasty names and putting me down”. The survey also found that 11 per cent of children want their parents or carers to stop arguing with each other.

But the top resolution children would make for their parents is to “stop shouting at me”, with 15 per cent of children saying this troubled them.

Family relationship problems were the most common reason for children to call ChildLine in 2011, accounting for 13 per cent of all emails, online chats and telephone calls to the service.

In 2010/11 there were 33,543 contacts to the service overall.

Director of the charity, Peter Liver, said: “Children who call ChildLine about family relationship problems are often at rock bottom. Regular arguments, being put down and shouted at can destroy their self-esteem and some young people turn to self-harm to cope with feelings of depression and despair.

“We know the festive period can be especially difficult for some children. We saw more children contacting ChildLine about feeling suicidal over the 12 days of Christmas than the average across the year”, Liver continued.

ChildLine can be called day and night throughout the Christmas holidays by calling 0800 1111. Advisors are also available to chat on the web via the website.